Monday, April 9, 2012

Forgiveness requires sincere remorse

Anyone reading my essays (all two or three of you) is familiar with my occasional references to God. Sometimes I write about concepts, sometimes things in my own life, and sometimes the world in general from my own exposure to actual text from the Bible.

In my 'real' life, while I am glad and happy to discuss matters concerning God and spirituality, I don't seek to push my ideas or theories on anyone. My policy is yes, I'd love to talk about it, but only if you want to do so. I am not an official 'representative' of God, so please remember: if you truly seek truth about God, you should always look in the Bible yourself. You may be surprised what you find if you search with sincere intentions.

That being said, I'd like to take a few moments to reflect on one of the classic problems people encounter when they're trying to reconcile the Bible with what they view as their own correct conscience. That problem being the question about who can be truly forgiven by God. For certainly, if you believe in the God chronicled in the Hebrew and Greek scriptures, you may be quite puzzled about all the arguing people do regarding who gets 'saved' and who does not.

First off, I will dutifully point out that no human being knows or can know the mind of God. This is supported by the writing of Isaiah: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Even still, there are those who will try to tell you that God wants this or that. All I can say to that is, if you don't find it on the printed page between Genesis chapter 1 and Revelation chapter 22, then you'd be wisest to just dismiss it as the undependable opinion of whomever is doing the 'teaching.' And that includes church elders or anyone else who is supposedly in a position of authority.

Secondly, there is much controversy in the Abrahamic faiths about what it takes to gain the good grace of God. Faith, works, faith, works, faith and works, etc. To please God, true intentions seem to matter a great deal. If you attend church and observe the rituals of your chosen religion, but still offend God by your behavior, and write it off with no genuine remorse... well, you're only fooling yourself. The God who gave you life and constantly sustains it every second of every day is not fooled at all. Ever.

David experienced this firsthand when God allowed David's child to die for David's theft of the wife of a loyal soldier. The soldier was a man named Uriah, and David sent him to the front lines to die on purpose, just so he could get busy with Bathsheba. Nothing escapes the eyes of God, and God does not give free rides to even his most favorite human beings.

Thirdly, what is one theme that seems to follow references to forgiveness?

Genuine repentance.

Since only God seems to truly understand the heart of every person, only God is qualified to judge anyone's true character. But the delusion of subjectivity is that it becomes very easy for many to talk themselves into the mercies promised by God by theories that make the most sense to them. Even many who will readily admit when they are wrong will still stubbornly think their sacrifice to God is more than sufficient.

Here is a short parable that was spoken by Jesus:"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

What could all that mean? Is God just a lover of irony over justice? I doubt it.

The only way to discern between the Pharisee and the publican in that parable, is to trust the ability of God to see what's really going on in their hearts. That aspect of human beings is hidden from other human beings. That's why we often do such a lousy job in our judgments of others. We usually see only the part of the picture that we want to see, good or bad.

Bottom line...

Who can be saved from the wrath of God when all of us commit sin on a daily basis?

Only those who are truly sorry for what they do, and seek to the best of their abilities to steer clear of the sins that make them guilty.

Anything less than that is just useless rationalization and worthless theory, because in the final analysis, God knows the truth of each of us, even when we lie to ourselves.

"For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden."

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."